In the methanol reforming field, there is known particularly from European application EPA No. 0003737, a process for producing city gas with a high methane content, by catalytic reaction of methanol with steam, with formation of a liquid mixture of water and liquid methanol in a ratio by weight of 0.5 to 1.5 : 1; with heating and vaporizing of said mixture; and reaction of the vaporized mixture under a pressure of 10 to 50 bars at a temperature between 300.degree. and 500.degree. C., in a fixed-bed reactor consisting of a nickel catalyst.
According to French patent No. 2,490,615, the cracking operation is conducted between 130.degree. to 950.degree. C., under pressures between 1 and 100 bars, in the presence of at least two types of catalysts, the first more particularly intended for cracking of methanol, the second and following types being suited for the conversion of the gas products of the cracking reaction into gas products such as hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, reducing gases, synthesis gases and hydrogen, the steam/methanol and carbon dioxide/methanol molarratios being between 0.2 and 10. The steam reforming reaction is conducted in the presence of carbon dioxide, by direct addition of this gas, recycling, or combination of the two modes of introduction. The application of heat during the steam reforming operation is performed by a heat exchanging fluid, circulating concurrently with the fluids of the process, said fraction being the residual gas of a purification of the gas produced to obtain pure hydrogen.